William J. Williams

Friday

Feb 22, 2013 at 2:00 AM

William J. "Bill" Williams passed away February 19, 2013 at Skylark Memory Care in Ashland. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 23 at the Ashland First United Methodist Church, 175 N. Main St.

Bill was born April 5, 1923 in Prescott, Ariz. He graduated from Grant High School, Portland, Ore. in 1942 and then served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a Radioman First Class in WWII. He married Audrey Joan Hall February 14, 1952 in Medford, Ore. and they recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary.

He worked as an electronics technician for Pacific Northwest Bell for 38 years, retiring in 1985. He was also a longtime member of the United Methodist Church. His hobbies included hiking, mountain climbing, and amateur radio operation. He was the author of a popular hiking book Where the Trails Are.

Bill is survived by his wife Audrey, sister Betty Hawke of Vancouver, Wash.; daughter Janice (Joe) Vincent of Eugene; son Stanley of Santa Monica, Calif.; granddaughters Sarah Vincent and Rachel Wachsmuth of Portland, and four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son James Brian Williams.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Ashland Food Bank or Ashland First United Methodist Church.